News 2006: Motorbase Round-Up

By any standards, 2006 was a remarkable racing season for Motorbase Performance. With twin programmes in the Porsche Carrera Cup GB and the Dunlop MSA British Touring Car Championship the team has excelled, and exciting plans for the 2007 are already well under way.

In the BTCC, the team's first season in the most important racing championship in Britain went very well indeed. Motorbase entered the Honda Integra of David Pinkney and the car was a front-runner all season, with a fabulous overall finish at Knockhill marking the highlight of the programme.

After a daunting 30-race schedule, David finished sixth in the Independent driver points and Motorbase was fourth in the Independent team award.

Meanwhile, the team had a great season in the Porsche Carrera Cup GB, with a three-strong squad of cars for Tim Harvey, Michael Caine and Phil Quaife.

Harvey was a contender for the overall title right from the start and won three races as he chased 2006 champion Damien Faulkner. Tim finished on the podium in a remarkable 16 races out of 20 and was a clear championship runner-up. Caine was also a podium visitor, taking four podium finishes to end the season sixth in the final points, just a single point adrift of fifth place.

Quaife had a brilliant season in his first year at this level and ended the year a clear champion in the new pro-am category, as well as finishing seventh overall. Phil won the pro-am category in 10 of the 20 races and added three more podium finishes to clinch the title two races from the end of the season.

In the teams' championship, Motorbase finished a clear runner-up and achieved the significant record of being the only team to be 100% complete at all race weekends. At the final race weekend of the season, Motorbase also entered a fourth Carrera Cup car for Andy Britnell, who was immediately on the pace of the leading pro-am racers.

Now, David Bartrum and his team are working flat out on major plans for 2007. Already, the team has confirmed a two-car operation in the BTCC with a pair of ex-works SEATs and Tom Ferrier was able to give one of the cars a debut run in the final meeting of 2006 at Silverstone. His top ten pace showed that the team and the cars will be a leading force in 2007.

Alongside the BTCC programme, Motorbase Performance will enter a multi-car team in the Carrera Cup GB, with the clear aim of going one better than its second place of 2006.

So, although the 2006 season has only just finished, the team at Motorbase is busy preparing for what will be an even busier and more challenging programme in 2007.